In recent years, use of computers has expanded greatly to enhance and simplify many aspects of business and play. The expanding role of computers in every day life has hastened a like expansion in the use of a variety of computer software applications which perform numerous functions ranging from computer games to word processing to large scale data manipulation.
Unfortunately, computer software applications often malfunction for a number of reasons. Often a software application user fails to properly install a particular software application or component of a particular software application. Often the user's computer is not configured properly to allow proper operation of a particular software application, and inevitably, some software applications contain problems discovered by the providers of those software applications after they are placed on the market and installed by users. Consequently, such problems typically lead to time consuming, expensive, and annoying downtime of computers while users attempt to ascertain the reason for the problem and attempt to effect a correction.
To handle such problems, providers of software applications typically maintain a staff of product support services personnel to field inquiries from software applications users. However, calling product support services can be a daunting and intimidating task for software applications users. Explaining the exact nature of a software problem is often very difficult for the user. Moreover, such practice not only frustrates the user, but increases costs for the provider of the software applications.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a cost-efficient and time-saving method and system for trouble shooting computer software problems that allow a user to identify and correct problems encountered during the use of a variety of software programs.
There is also a need in the art for a method and system for providing a user of software programs with a database of problem solutions which may be utilized to provide assistance without the need to contact the product support services personnel of the software providers.
There is further a need in the art for a method and system for obtaining on-line assistance from a remote problem solutions database which may be maintained and updated by the providers of software programs.